Cloth with clip

ABSTRACT

To solve the problem of repeated laundry of a person&#39;s clothing when a fed or burped child spits up after eating because the burp cloth has shifted and no longer protects the wearer&#39;s clothing. This protective cloth rests comfortably on the wearer&#39;s shoulder and uniquely attaches to the wearer&#39;s clothing providing a larger coverage area which does not slip off the shoulder with use.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This device relates to the child care field. More specifically, the device is a protective cloth used for feeding and burping children.

BACKGROUND

Previous applications of protective cloths used to protect a wearer's clothing had poor coverage area or uncomfortable and inconvenient ways to hold the cloth steady on the wearer. This device is unique in that an easy to use clip is attached to the underside of the cloth and attaches to any wearer's clothing firmly to ensure the cloth stays in place while in use.

This device is significantly distinguishable from Miller (US D482,846). Miller discloses a shoulder bib which has an indentation along one of the long sides to rest the bib over the shoulder and around the neck of the wearer, providing significant coverage on the front and backside of the wearer. This device in this application has a significant improvement over this design by attaching a loop with a clip to the underside of the cloth which clips to the wearer's clothing to prevent the cloth from slipping and shifting from its placement on the wearer while the cloth is in use.

This device is also significantly distinguishable from Terry (U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,193). Terry discloses a garment for use in the care of infants in which the wearer's clothing is protected by a garment with pouches on the front and back and is secured round the body by a fixed strap on one side, creating an arm hole for the wearer to put the garment on, and a pair of ties that wrap around the wearer's body and tie together to hold the garment in place. The front pouch is for placing diapers and other such baby needs. The rear pouch contains a sponge or other resilient material for catching any discharge the infant may expel. Terry also discloses a narrow central shoulder band which is padded to protect the baby's head from the shoulder of the wearer of the garment. The device in this application has a wide coverage area on both the front and backside of the wearer where the wearer's clothing are fully protected by the garment, as the garment is secured to the wearer's clothing with a clip on the underside of the cloth.

The device in this application is significantly distinguishable from David (U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,099). David discloses a protective shoulder cover which is held on the wearer by placing the garment over the shoulder of the wearer and attaching in some fashion at the waist opposite the shoulder. The purpose disclosed by David is to provide padding to the shoulder as well as protection of the wearer's clothing using this form-fitting device. The device described in this application has a wider coverage area and fastens to the wearer's clothing at the neckline of the wearer's clothing.

The devices disclosed in this application is also significantly distinguishable from Winans (US D299,282). Winans discloses an ornamental shoulder bib which rests on the wearer's shoulder and has a length of fabric that extends around the neck of the wearer to attach to the bib on the front of the bib to securely hold the bib to the shoulder of the wearer. The device in this application clips easily to the wearer's clothing and does not need to be attached around the wearer's neck. Furthermore, the device in this application provides a larger coverage area on the front and back of the wearer.

The device disclosed in this application is distinguishable from Simon (U.S. Pat. No. 2,727,239) as well. Simon discloses a protective bib which may be used to protect a wearer's clothing when holding or burping a baby. The protective bib is elongated to extend on the front and back of the shoulder of the wearer and has an indentation to mold around the neck of the wearer. The protective bib discloses a layer of rough, moisture absorbent material on both faces of the bib and weight counterbalancing means so the bib will not readily slide from the shoulder of the wearer. The device disclosed in this application is a length of fabric with an indentation placed on one of the long edges of the fabric to rest the cloth as near to the neck of the user as possible. In the middle of the indentation, a clip is placed on the underside of the cloth to clip the cloth to the wearer to prevent the cloth from slipping from its placed position.

The device disclosed in this application is also distinguishable from Henninger (U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,182). Henninger discloses a protective garment worn over the shoulder and attached around the neck of the wearer to keep the garment in place when burping or holding a baby. The device disclosed in this application does not fasten around the neck of the wearer, but by a clip at the neckline of the wearer's garments to hold the burp cloth in place.

The device as disclosed in this application is also distinguishable from La Doux (U.S. Pat. No. 2,682,055). La Doux discloses a bib to be worn around an infant's neck which has a portion which may be placed on the shoulder of the caregiver to provide coverage to the caregiver's clothing while holding or burping the infant. The device disclosed in this application attaches by a clip at the neckline of the wearer to provide the coverage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device is a protective cloth including an indentation on one of the long sides of the cloth to rest easily adjacent to the neck of the wearer, a loop in the middle of the indentation on the underside of the cloth, and a clip secured by the loop. The cloth and loop are made of any flexible material. The clip is any clip commonly used to grasp clothing, having a smooth side along the top of the clip, such as a mitten clip. The device provides a method of affixing a cloth to the wearer to provide the maximum amount of coverage to the shoulder region without slipping off the shoulder as the child moves around.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The topside view of the protective cloth is generally depicted in FIG. 1. The topside of the cloth is shown at 10. The cloth has two shorter sides shown at 12 and two longer sides shown at 14. On one of the longer sides, there is an indentation in the cloth depicted at 16.

The underside view of the protective cloth is generally depicted in FIG. 2. The underside of the protective cloth is shown at 18. The loop for securing the clip to the cloth is depicted at 20. The clip to hold the protective cloth to the wearer is shown at 22.

The detailed view of the indented region on the underside of the protective cloth is depicted in FIG. 3. The loop securing the cloth to the clip is shown at 20 and the clip is shown in detail at 22.

The detailed view of the attachment of the clip to the cloth, as well as the type of clip used is generally depicted in FIG. 4. The clip is attached by the loop shown at 20 to the underside of the cloth shown at 18. The bottom of the clip is shown at 24 and the smooth top side of the clip is shown at 26. The teeth that grasp the clothing of the wearer are depicted at 28.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This device is a cloth for protecting the wearer's clothing while feeding and burping children. The protective cloth is comprised of any flexible material of at least one layer having two short sides and two long sides. On one of the long sides of the fabric there is an indentation so that the cloth may rest comfortably adjacent the neck of the wearer.

The underside of the protective cloth has a clip that is fastened by a loop in the indented portion of the fabric. The loop is comprised of any flexible material and securely holds the clip to the cloth. The clip is positioned with the bottom of the clip resting on the underside of the fabric so that when closed around the wearer's clothing, the smooth top of the clip lays comfortably on the wearer's shoulder.

The clip used to hold the protective cloth to the wearer is any such clip that grasps fabric and closes with a smooth top to prevent the wearer from being scratched. In order to use the protective cloth, a wearer would open the clip, slide the wearer's shirt between the teeth of the clip, close the clip to hold the cloth securely in position, then arrange the cloth over the shoulder, topside up. This enables the wearer's clothing to be protected while caring for the child, while protecting the head of the child from coming into contact with a sharp clip. 

1. A protective cloth for user, comprising: a. a length of fabric having two short sides and two long sides; b. an indentation in the fabric on one long side; c. a loop in the middle of the indentation on the underside of the cloth; and d. a clip secured by the loop.
 2. The device as set forth in claim 1, said fabric comprising at least one layer of any flexible material.
 3. (canceled)
 4. Said loop comprising any flexible material.
 5. Said length of fabric having topside and underside portions with loop and clip attaching to the underside portion.
 6. Said clip being any clip commonly used to grasp clothing, having a smooth side along the top of the clip.
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. A method of affixing a burp cloth to the wearer, said method including the steps of: a. open teeth of clip; b. slide fabric of the wearer's shirt between the teeth of the clip with smooth top of clip resting on wearer's shoulder; c. close the clip; and d. arrange burp cloth so it lays flat over the wearer's shoulder, topside up.
 10. (canceled) 